Creating a Ripple - It starts with youWorkplace Learning Connection is a valuable career exploration tool you can use to help your students understand that what they’re learning in school is applicable to real life.

We've developed age appropriate programs for younger students. Many of the skills learned in the first few years of school are key to success later in life. Showing young students the relevance of classroom activities helps them stay focused and encourages them to do their best.

As students get older and start following a more clearly-defined educational path toward a career, they can get hands-on experience through job shadows and internships. These experiences help student make more informed career decisions.

Regular communication with your School Liaison regarding the on-going progress of your event.
Final confirmation at least a week before the event, including contact information for the speaker/tour host

What we need from you:

Review the Teacher Expectations document and the Student Expectations document

Prepare students for listening and learning with Discussion Tools

Make sure students have questions prepared for the speaker and check out our generic suggested questions.

Make sure your school is prepared for the event - rooms available with needed AV or other equipment as well as all school personnel aware and welcoming of guests in the building that day.

Complete an evaluation with your students after the event. This helps us keep track of program quality.

Send a thank you letter to the business host after the event.

Tours & Speakers

ToursGroups of 10 to 25 students can tour an area business.
Learn first hand the variety of careers available in your community.

SpeakersLearn more about what it takes to succeed in the workplace from an area professional.
Speakers work with students in the classroom for 15 to 30 minutes.

Events

MIDDLE SCHOOL EVENTS

Interactive Speaker Day How many times has a student said, “When am I going to use this?” Classroom speakers can be a great supplement for bringing the world of work into the classroom. Interactive options include:

Tools of the Trade: Whether it’s a computer, a whisk or a scalpel, everyone has to learn to use a tool to perform their job better. This event has a “show and tell” quality to it as students get to look, and sometime touch, the tools that are used in a variety of careers.

Products and Processes: How do widgets get made? What processes must be in place for a company to produce something? Professionals will demonstrate a product or a process used within their company and talk about ALL the careers and skills needed to make it happen!

These events have a “show and tell” quality so that the students can look, and where possible, touch and experience what is shown. Emphasis is on both the physical tools and academic tools needed to perform the job.

Worksite Tours Take a trip into area businesses to see how varied work environments can be. Learn that not all jobs happen behind a desk or at a computer. Work site tours are a favorite with middle school students – from the exploratory approach of large groups visiting sites to more specific with small groups of students who have already chosen their career pathway. Both benefit students who can appreciate the variety of choices in their own community. Students have the opportunity to see first hand what the world of work is like instead of just imagining.

Target Your FutureStudents from rural Iowa explore careers in a hands-on, interactive program at Kirkwood Community College with instructors in available departments. They not only learn about careers, but also the education needed to pursue such a career. This event is aimed at opening the eyes of students to opportunities they may not have considered or even seen in their own community but are available in the Corridor.

Financial Literacy FairThe Financial Literacy Fair is the culmination of a year's worth of financial study and career exploration for area middle school students. During the year students will learn how to keep a check registry, how to make a budget and the importance of saving money. They will also explore careers based on their skills and interests. From this exploration they will choose a career and receive a monthly paycheck for that career to use at the Financial Literacy Fair.

During the Financial Literacy Fair students will make a series of decisions about how to spend their money. Transportation, Housing, Insurance, Food are just a few of the booths they will visit. Just like in real life students will experience unexpected bills or windfalls at the Wheel of Destiny. At the end of the fair they will meet with a financial counselor to see how they put their financial knowledge to work at the fair.

Career DaysDuring a a Career Day area business people speak about their career path and experiences to a group of students. Students get to select which seminar to attend based on their interests. Career Days range from half an hour to half a day.

Career FairsCareer Fairs are broader than Career Days. Area professionals setup booths in the school cafeteria or gym, with the students selecting which booths to visit, depending on their interests. This type of event encourages students to work on communication skills by interacting with a business person in small groups or one on one.

Classroom Career SpeakersBusiness people share their career path and experience with a small group or an entire classroom. Speakers can open students to opportunities they may never have considered and inform them about educational and experiential requirements for a particular career field.

Mock InterviewsThe culminating activity to our Business Etiquette program: a focus on preparing to enter the workforce with discussion on resumes, cover letters, applications, and interviewing. Whether you're trying to get a part-time job or getting ready for college interviews, the mock interview process will allow you to practice your interviewing skills before the real thing.

Contact your School Liaison for the link to the on-line Mock Interview application.

Worksite Tours for Academy & Career ClassesAvailable for Kirkwood Academy classes or high school Careers classes.
Students tour a job site and learn about a career as a group. Show them the various career opportunities available in a particular field and all aspects of a business. Students can see a typical day on the job, where different people work and what they do. The host business can answer questions about what they look for in a potential employee and what training is required to get started and to continue to develop professionally in a specific career.

Job Shadows - student requestedHigh school students (grades 10-12) can meet with business people to learn more about local careers. Job shadows last from two to six hours. It's an excused absence from school. Workplace Learning Connection will inform your school attendance office of the job shadow date, time and place. Transportation is the student's responsibility.

Internships - student requestedStudents gain work experience and find out if a career is right for them through the Workplace Learning Connection's internship program. High school juniors and seniors can get 45-90 hours of planned and supervised career experiences. Interns learn new skills, apply classroom knowledge in a real-world setting, develop employability behaviors that better prepare them for the workplace, and gain insight that will help them make more informed career choices.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EVENTSAvailable in limited capacity - ask WLC School Liaison for more information

Awesome Uniforms
What will I wear to work today? A nurse wears a uniform, so does a minister! Students have an opportunity to hear from a wide variety of professionals such as a police officer, veterinarian, chef, mail carrier and soldier. The emphasis is on what function their uniform serves as well as how they use reading, math, good listening skills and teamwork in their jobs.

Careers on Wheels
How are the skills students are learning in school today going to help them in their jobs tomorrow? Students have the opportunity to tour vehicles and meet the drivers. The drivers talk to the students about the relevance of math, reading, teamwork and responsibility in their jobs. Past vehicles include a dog groomer, ambulance, computer repair, fire truck and hearse.

Tools of the Trade Imaginations go wild when an Archeologist opens her bag of “tools” and passes them around the room. Whether sitting in front of a computer or standing in an operating room, everyone uses tools in their jobs. This event encourages students to look at the technical side of the working world and the skills needed to excel.

Teacher @ Work

Teachers spend a summer “on the job” in an area business that relates to their subject area. Grant Wood AEA and the Workplace Learning Connection work together to provide teachers with real world practices to take into their classrooms.

Participants are required to attend a two-hour orientation session and a three-hour debriefing session; internship length is 40 hours, and participants earn three graduate credits through Drake University or recertification credit.

The insights teachers gain from their experiences allow them to:

Facilitate the use of real world examples as more teachers are utilizing contextual learning.